Desperate Conflict Interlude
by Faermage-KH Junkie
Summary: After the death of their friend, Bunder, the Redemption goes their separate ways, taking a much-needed respite before rejoining for the final struggle. -Songfic: Live Before You Die- -Several OC pairings- -T for implied mature content-


_Desperate Conflict_

_~Interlude~_

A darkened room; a darker form. She looks out over the crowd, none of whom will understand. A tear falls silently down her cheek before her eyes open. The lights come on and she grins, brown eyes becoming blue with the intensity of the moment. She stands on a makeshift stage, in a high school cafeteria, but that doesn't mean she can't put on this show.

"Remember us," she whispers, and then the music begins to play.

_((Driving Away the Darkness With: Bon Jovi ~ Live Before You Die [The Circle]))_

Somewhere along a path, a black-haired, green-eyed girl walks along a path with a bown-haired boy. She slips her hand in his, and smiles, and her eyes, also, fill up with tears – but tears of happiness. They move on, together, just caught, for the moment, in each other, not looking backward towards the past, nor forwards toward the furture.

_Life moves on, you know?_

_{When you're young, you always think  
>The sun is gonna shine<br>There'll come a day you'll have to say  
>Hello to goodbye...}<em>

A schoolgirl in a ponytail laughs with her friends, but a moment of sadness crosses her face when they all look away. Someone walks up to her, and the first genuine smile of the conversation crosses her face as she introduces him as her boyfriend. Thoughts of a good friend gone flee before the image of a full life ahead of her.

_{Sit down son, come take my hand  
>Look me in the eye<br>Take these words, promise me  
>You'll live before you die}<em>

Another face watched the singer from the sidelines. She seemed perfectly in her element, and a confidence attended her movements that many who knew her had never seen before. Most who didn't assumed that it was because this was her party, but a flicker of something _else_ in her eyes stood testament to the change that had taken place.

_Even with him gone, the Redemption endures. We all move forward. Kel still throws stupid school parties… Ash still sings at them._

_{I was barely seventeen summer of seventy-nine  
>Already I was feeling like I was running out of time}<em>

_Time, of course, passes. It seems like such a short time, but even then… someone new joins, just as someone old left…_

A brown-haired boy with odd-colored eyes stares deep into the eyes of a blonde wearing an orange bow. They have known each other such a short time, but their bond is deep; already, now, they must say goodbye. Yet, not goodbye forever, and he takes heart from that. They embrace, and share a see-you-later kiss…

_{I had this girl we fell in love  
>Or should I say that she had me<br>Then one fateful night changed our lives  
>And we made a memory}<em>

A brown-eyed boy holds the orange-haired girl from the party in his arms as they face the dawn together. They're all too aware of their differences, all too aware of the impossibility. Her face, caught in a moment of sorrow, rests on his chest, her hand clutching his shirt tightly. For the short time that she would have him, he would be hers. They wouldn't be separated until fate parted them…

_Those two… their bond is just as strong as ever._

_{When you're young you always think  
>The sun is going to shine<br>There'll come a day  
>you'll have to say hello to goodbye}<em>

An orange-haired man smiles softly at a memory of the night before; the singer lies asleep next to him, arm wrapped around his bare chest. He pulls his hand through the silver streak in her midnight hair as he remembers a night he will never forget…

_{She laid me down she took my hand  
>And looked me in the eye<br>And just before she kissed me she said  
>You got to live before we die}<em>

_{You learn to love to live}_

A fifteen-year-old girl in a headband and white dress walks hand-in-hand with a tall blonde in green clothes; they smile at each other.

_{You fight and you forgive}_

Two young men, one older and one younger, stand looking at each other semi-uncomfortably across the deck of an airship, ready to finally seek each other's forgiveness…

_{You learn what's wrong and right}_

A blonde girl wearing tight-fitting clothing is helped to her feet by a blonde man; the resemblance is too great for them to be anything but father and daughter. There's surprise in her eyes, but tears of joy as well…

_{You live before you die}_

The scene is back in the cafeteria, back at the party, but this is a different party. As the midnight-haired girl pours her heart into the music, she feels a presence as if someone has a hand on her shoulder. Tears pour from her eyes as she sings a memory…

_When you're young you always think  
>The sun is going to shine<br>One day you're going to have to say hello to goodbye  
>Shout it out let someone somewhere<br>Know that you're alive  
>Take these words wear them well<br>Live before you die  
>Live before you die<br>Hey!  
>Live before you die<em>

She's ready kto finish, to say goodbye, but as she sings the last words, she swears she can hear someone singing them with her, and she flashes back to the life of a hero…

_{You learn to love to live  
>You fight and you forgive<br>You face the darkest night  
>Just live before you die}<em>

A tall man in a black coat goes through his life; a vibrant redhead accompanies him. They hug before they stride forward. There are fights and makeups; there are leavings and returns. There is a bond that couldn't be found anywhere else.

He stands forward against the darkness, unafraid; he knows the consequences.

As he fades away, he smiles…..

_Yes. Even without him, we endure. We move onward. The Redemption survives, as he did, as we do, as we always will. The desperate conflict is over, but more struggles are to follow; the battle isn't over._

_Together, we look forward to the future, ready to finish it, once and for all._

_~Not The End~_

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hey there! So, this is an epilogue for the fanfiction crossover RP Desperate Conflict. Several fan-made characters appear here alongside several canon characters, but you may not be able to figure out whihc is which. This is my private tribute to the amazing Bunder Black; his death was too sad for words. I hope you liked reading it. ~Miri  
><em>


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